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THE S.S. DOMINATOR SHIPWRECK

On the westernmost tip of the Palos Verdes peninsula are the fragmented remains of a WWII American Liberty Ship that ran a ground over fifty years ago. This ship, originally christened the SS Melville Jacoby, was built in Rhode Island and launched in 1944. After the war it was sold to a commercial shipping company, and since then, it has changed hands and names several times. In 1947 it was renamed the SS Victoria. In 1950 it was the SS North Queen. And finally in 1953 it was stationed in Greece and given the name the SS Dominator.

From then on, Dominator was used exclusively as a freighter, until it met an unfortunate end on the evening of March 13, 1961. Dominator was carrying a full shipment of wheat and beef down the coast, on their way to refuel at the port in Long Beach. Due to out-dated equipment and a thick layer of fog that night, Captain Papanicolopoulos mistook the Point Vincente lighthouse for the entrance to Long Beach Harbor, and the ship ran a ground on the rocky shores of Palos Verdes.

For two days, the coast guard tried to re-float the ship, but heavy winds and high seas only pushed it further up the rocks. Efforts continued until the night of March 16, when the captain sent a final SOS and the crew abandoned ship.

For more information on how to find the Dominator yourself, please watch the video.